The invention relates generally to toys, games, and novelties, and in particular to a mechanical spinning toy. New toys in the 21st Century usually involve a microprocessor, a bundle of batteries, and a substantial price tag. They are vulnerable to a few drops of water or one fall from the edge of a table. If they are lost or damaged, or if a child loses interest in them, they represent a significant lost investment. Unfortunately, millions of parents are trapped in a cycle of buying new, expensive electronic toys to replace those that are lost or damaged.
Adding a few sturdy, inexpensive mechanical toys to the mix would reduce these costs. A broad assortment of older toy designs are available, both new and used, but a new mechanical toy design without electronic components would be well received.
Alternatively swinging and twisting toy, U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,841 (filed Sep. 7, 1982), provides a motor operated toy, having a pair of moving cams which are synchronously driven to cause a swinging motion of the toy. The toy is further formed with a pair of spring loaded feet for augmenting the swinging motion of the toy as the toy moves across a supporting surface, which is also engaged by the moving cams. A pair of crank operated limbs are also disclosed.
Swinging toy, U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,981 (filed Jul. 27, 1989), provides a swinging toy which comprises a U-shaped frame having two spaced parallel support rods and a connecting fulcrum rod. A figure comprises a body member simulating a head and shoulders with two arm members rotationally connected to the body member at the simulated shoulders. An outer string line is connected between the parallel support rods near one end of the frame and passes through inner openings of the arm members. An inner string line is connected between the parallel support rods parallel to and adjacent the outer string line and passes through outer openings of the arm members. When the frame is placed in a vertical position with the figure at the top, gravity will cause the body member to move around the inner and outer string lines to take an upside-up position below the inner string line, which causes the inner and outer string lines to cross each other. When the ends of the parallel support rods at the bottom of the frame are moved toward each other, the parallel string lines are pulled back to a parallel position so that the body member counter rotates around the inner and outer string lines back to an upside-up position beneath the inner string line, which causes the inner and outer string lines to cross each other, but in an opposite direction. Repeated movement toward each other of the bottom ends of the parallel support rods causes the body member to repeatedly rotate and counter rotate around the inner and outer string lines. Also disclosed are an electrically-operated embodiment, a weighted free standing embodiment and a multi-jointed figure.
Wobbling toy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,366 (filed Dec. 22, 1993), provides a wobbling toy which includes a hollow platform, a first magnet unit a soft toy housing including a head and a body and a driving mechanism. The first magnet unit is disposed horizontally and mounted rotatably adjacent to the top surface of the platform. The driving mechanism is operable so as to drive rotatably the first magnet unit. The toy body unit rests on the top surface of the platform. The toy body unit further includes a pivot plate which has two distal ends connected pivotally to the wall of the toy body and a vertically extending swing rod which has an intermediate portion that extends through and that is connected to the pivot plate. The swing rod further has a lower end with a second magnet unit mounted thereon and disposed adjacent to the platform and an upper end disposed within the head of the soft toy housing. In operation, the first magnet unit is oscillated by the driving mechanism so as to alternately attract and repel the second magnet unit, to cause the swing rod within the toy body unit to swing. As a result, the toy body unit wobbles on the platform and the head of the toy housing wobbles relative to the body thereof.
Mobile, gyroscopically stabilized toy with controlled multi-action movements, U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,845 (filed Mar. 12, 1996), provides a toy having a body for housing and supporting its various constituent elements, the elements including: a gyroscopic mechanism, mounted therein so as to gyrostabilize the toy, which includes a rotor mounted on an axle and a mechanism for attaching the axle so that it is free to rotate about one or both of two axes which are perpendicular to each other and to the axis of spin; a selectively, intermittently operable drive mechanism for causing the axle and the rotor to spin with sufficient speed to gyrostabilize the toy; one or more appendages attached to and supported by the body portion of the toy, optionally operatively connected by a transmission to the selectively, intermittently operable drive mechanism, or to an independent drive mechanism, for moving the one or more appendages in a predetermined manner; and a mechanism for permitting independent directional movement of the toy, on which the body portion is supported and which resists the natural precessional forces of the gyroscopic means.
Toy top and drive unit for spinning the top, U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,437 (filed Oct. 12, 1993), provides a toy top which can also be used as a badge, and a drive unit which can mechanically spin the toy top with ease in a simple manner. The toy top has first engaging portions on the upper surface of the main body thereof, a first hook portion on the outer periphery thereof and a central spindle about which a knob is removably screw-fitted. The toy top comprises a main body having first engaging portions, a first hook portion and a central spindle screw-fitted with a knob while the drive unit comprises a rotatable member having second engaging portions to engage the first engaging portions of the toy top, a spring for rotating the rotatable member, a second hook portion to engage the second hook portion of the toy top and operating member for releasing the engagement of the second hook portion with the first hook portion of the toy top. Further, some modifications of the structures of the toy top and the drive unit are also disclosed. Where the toy top is used as a badge, the knob fitted on the central spindle of the main body of the toy top is first removed and after passing the spindle through the user's clothing, the knob is fitted again on the spindle.
Toy top structure and system, U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,734 (filed Apr. 14, 2000), provides a toy top system that uses uniquely configured tops. The system contains a plurality of toy tops that can be stacked on top of one another while spinning. Each of the tops has a value for rotational inertia associated with it. At least some of the tops are configured to have a value for rotational inertia that varies as a function of the rotational speed of the top. The tops with a variable rotational inertia are capable of storing and providing rotational energy while maintaining a near constant rate of rotation.
A spinning or revolving motion has proven to be an attractive feature for a toy, and there are several existing designs, but no new designs in this area have emerged for several years. A mechanical spinning toy, which provides sturdy construction and a fascinating spinning action, would help to resolve this problem.